Reviews | Written by Andrew Marshall 25/08/2016

THE GRIME #2

After a successful
first issue, punk horror anthology The
Grime returns for another instalment, featuring works from familiar names
as well as a few new ones.

First
off is another outing for The Nihilist,
a mysterious figure who seems to have a penchant for stalking those who prey on
anyone weaker than themselves. As he sets his sights on a group of fox hunters
brought down by their plutocratic arrogance as much as the trap laden forest
that awaits them, you’re torn between wanting to know more about him, while
being aware that to truly learn anything would likely shatter his sinister
mystique.

Without
using the name directly, The Crimson
Poker reworks how the expository climax of a Miss Marple tale would probably
play out in reality, and is a far cry from the genteel manners of rural England
with which readers of Agatha Christie’s mysteries will be more familiar.

Subcutaneous Soft is a brief
parable about mental illness, the artwork’s slashes of black pen reflecting the
darkness of the tone, but also emphasising the surprisingly uplifting and hopeful
statement on which the story ends.

A
tale told in reverse, in Decisions,
Decisions each page jumps back a week in time, giving the preceding events
and dialogue increasingly greater context, until with a final splash page
everything becomes clear, with the tacit observation that while important
choices might be placed in the hands of those who don’t want them, they still
ultimately have the responsibility to make one.

Blinded Part II continues
the comically gruesome story began in The Grime #1, featuring a mysterious girl
named Cheryl who unwillingly summons unspeakable horrors out her eyeballs by
merely opening them. Advancing and expanding the tale with same wry sense of
the ridiculous, apocalyptic monster horror has never been more fun.

The Beautiful Day is an
ode to anyone who was ever bullied as a child, and observes with unforgiving
malice that timid people can only be pushed so far before they begin to push
back at an exponential rate, but also points out that those in a position of authority
are equally culpable through their passivity.

Ending
things on an unnerving doom-laden note is Whale
Song, in which the music of the marine mammals is revealed to have had a
hitherto unnoticed effect on something in the dark depths of the ocean, and its
decline due to whaling could have a far-reaching consequence for humanity.

While
not entirely as macabre as the first collection, this second issue of The Grime continues in the same vein as
its predecessor, showcasing the diverse facets of the horror genre and the
superlative talents of the independent creatives bringing them to life.